The Oldest Road in Rome – How To Get To The Appian Way

Back in May 2013 we had to make an unexpected return to Italydue to a family emergency, meaning two long-haul flights between our origin in Bangkok, and our destination of Rome.

Arriving into Rome and the company of our friends who live there, we were exhausted and ready for bed – but our friends had a better suggestion.

“Take it easy, dump your stuff and go for a relaxing walk along the Appian Way”

What Is The Appian Way?

The Appian Way, or Via Appia Antica is one of the most well known roads in Europe and possibly the oldest in Italy.

Built in the year 312BC, the road was built during the time of the Roman Republic in order provide an easier transportation network for the army to use in order to defeat their closest regional enemy at the time, the Samnites.

The entire road is made of large slabs of stone that have been bleached over the centuries by year after year of hot Italian summers, and if you were to walk all the way the path (and where it once was), you’d find yourself in the southern Italian city of Brindisi which was one of the largest ports on the Eastern coast.

Named after the democratic leader of the time, Appius Claudius Caecus, who saw a need to improve the road not just for the military to move their troops across more quickly, but also to speed up the process of communication in the country.

Is There A New Appian Way?

Actually, yes.

The reason that the Via Appia is most commonly referred to as the ‘Old Appian Way’ is because there was a more modern road built alongside of it around the year 1784. To tell them apart locals started referring to one as the ‘New Appian Way‘ and since then the two names have stuck.

At over 2300 years old, calling the Appian Wayold isn’t exactly incorrect.

It’s mind boggling to think that the road is older than many parts of the city of Rome itself, and even older than some of the most recognised of Rome’s other attractions, like the Colosseum.

To think as you walk or ride along the road – renting a bike to ride along the Via Appian is highly recommended – that you’re stepping on the same stones on which people also did so many centuries ago is mind-blowing.

We chose to walk the route rather than to rent a bicycle from a cafe near the beginning, and I think it was the best decision that could have been made.

Without the worry of having a bike to look after, we could stroll slowly and leisurely along the route giving us plenty of time to stop and admire the high quantity of sights and monuments that you’ll find on each side of the road. In fact, near the beginning of where we started our walk was our first sighting of an ancient monument sticking out amongst the green of the grass.

What we were looking at is the former ‘Circus of Maxentius’, the second largest Roman circus that you can still see today and somewhere that, on at least one occasion that is recorded, filled the ground to watch the games.

After that, there are a number of tombs, churches, a number of villas and some Roman baths; and there was one that we chose to enter briefly as we sat on the grass in the publicly open grounds to eat our packed lunch and observed all around us in the Capo Di Bove.

One of the most interesting attractions along the Appian Way isn’t so easy to see on the surface.

The Catacombs of Rome

Along the Appian Way there are a number of off-the-path attractions to be discovered and explored, with the Catacomb of Callixtus amongst the most important and prestigious.

The catacomb is just under 600 years younger than the road itself and was used extensively through the founding years and rise of Christianity in Rome as a graveyard and burial ground beneath the surface.

Although the Roman tradition was to burn the bodies of their dead, there came a time where preserving the body after death became standard religious practice; however, burials within the boundary of Rome was forbidden. To rectify this many of the earlier Christians found that these areas were both cheap and easy to use as an area for the dead to be set to rest.

Over the centuries the catacombs around Rome shifted from being a cheap area in which the poor would inter their deceased, to a place where the rich would pay to have their bodies placed after death in the hope that it would increase the chances of their going to heaven.

Eventually the catacomb came under the guidance of Callixtus, who watched and expanded it prior to his becoming * Pope Callixtus I*. Following his death he was interned into the catacombs he had been the caretaker of and started a 200 year-long tradition of being the final resting place to the popes that followed him.

In total the remains of more than sixteen popes were laid to rest in the Catacomb of Callixtus before the fall of the Roman Empire brought great changes to the church and landscape of Rome.

On The Road Again

Following our rest we decided that it was best for us to get back onto walking the same route of so many legions of Romans before us before the jet-lag kicked in.

Aside from the ancient buildings for the time of the empire that still stand there are some occasional buildings that are certainly newer in comparison to the villas, but still wonderfully aged – and still lived in.

But that’s not what draws you in the most.

What’s really draws you in are the statues and monuments along the way that, again, you can’t believe are still there, still where they were placed by a craftsman so many years ago.

Why Visit The Via Appia

The biggest surprise from the walk isn’t the age of the location, it’s that something that our friends knew we needed after our long flight from Thailand – peace and quiet.

It’s beyond comprehension just how peaceful and free of commotion and noise the Via Appia Antica is. That you’re still very much in the heart of Rome is bewildering and as you’re strolling along staring into the green-green grass and flowers that line the route, you can’t think for one second of anywhere else you’d rather be.

How To Get To The The Appian Way

Getting to the park is remarkably easy with public transport and is best reached via the following way:

Take the nearest Metro to the station, Piramide.

From Piramide, take the 118 Bus.

Depart at stop, Catacombs of San Callisto

You’re already on the Appian Way!

Continue straight along the road. Don’t follow the bus as it curves around the corner.

If in doubt, be sure to politely ask the driver to point out the stop for the Via Appia, but given how many people will also be disembarking, you won’t have any trouble getting the right stop.

The Perfect Solution For Jet-Lag

Credit to our friends for the fantastic suggestion. Being out in the open and away from the stuffiness of the more-often-than-not heavily tourist full centre of the capital was perfect for our tired minds and exhausted bodies. It really helped to clear the mind of the past few days of travelling.

If you’re ever in Rome after a long trip to get there, take our advice. Grab a light lunch, grab the bus to the Appian Way Park and stroll through history.

Would you like to walk along the Via Appia?

22 Comments

Great photos guys. I haven’t been back to Italy since I was 17, so that really needs to happen at some point soon! The Appian Way, sounds like a lovely relaxing way to spend your afternoon. 🙂Katie Featherstone recently posted…Friday Fix: Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia.

A great day on the Appian Way! I agree, the walk along this historic road is peaceful and just mind boggling to look down at those huge paving stones and imagine the legions marching off in that straight straight direction. We stopped at both the San Callisto and the San Domitilla catacombs so missed some of the sites you pointed out. Next time!Rebecca recently posted…Casino Trekking – Vegas Style!

As an art history student, one of the first things I did when I got to Rome was go and hike along the Appian Way for an afternoon. What an atmospheric place, one can really feel the history here.Lesley Peterson recently posted…Gone swimming! Best places in the world to swim

What a lovely post! I remember this road and the whole story! This is impressive, isn’t it? That so long time ago they constructed better roads than today. And if I’m not wrong these ancient roads were the reason for a proverb “all roads lead to Rome”. P.S. I remember a funny situation while studying Italian: I met a girl who thought this proverb changes according to the country so in France ‘All roads lead to Paris’ and in the UK to London haha.Agata recently posted…Sardinia for Experts

Wow, this is amazing! I’ve never heard of this road before, but I bet that if I’d gotten to walk down it during my trip to Rome many moons ago, I would have had a more favorable impression of the city!Heather recently posted…Drinking Bulls Blood Wine in Eger, Hungary

Rome and I aren’t the best of friends, but I’m willing to give it another chance. My one visit was in August during a heat wave when the sanitation workers were on strike. Also, I was a teenager on an organized tour. So the city really didn’t stand a chance. I think it’s time for a redo!Heather recently posted…Drinking Bulls Blood Wine in Eger, Hungary

Couldn’t agree with you more. Organised tours can be the worst (depending on the guide) as more often than not you want to spend much, MUCH longer at some parts rather than having to move on. Maybe a trip in 2014 is on the cards?

This looks like a great respite from the hustle and bustle of Rome and such a gorgeous blue sky and sunshine day by the looks of it. May is my favorite weather month in Rome!Lisa recently posted…What’s In My Bag? – Carry On Only Travel

It really was the best place we possibly could have gone. I think next time we’ll take a huge picnic!

Nicole P
on January 21, 2014 at 00:37

We did appia antica on our first and only (so far) visit to Rome in 2008. I had actually read about it in a frommers top 10 Rome guide! One of our more memorable things that we did…it was a mid-September afternoon, sunny, warm, quiet, calm, and just…amazing. If I talk to anyone going to Rome, I recommend appia antica every time.

And I can’t blame you for recommending it either. As you found out for yourself, it’s a lovely calm place to just escape the occasional mania of the city without having to go miles in order to find some peace.

Maybe the next time you guys take a flight you can find something similar near your destination? Maybe there’s a national or public park that’s not more than a short bus ride away and just escape for a while whilst your body adjusts?Dale recently posted…Unexpected Mexican Street Food in Munich

Love this, guys! I’ve never heard of this road either, but it really does seem like the best cure for jet lag. It’s a side of Rome that I’ve never seen (and I bet a lot of other tourists don’t either). How cool to just stroll through history and feel like you are exactly where you want to be. I know returning home from Thailand wasn’t easy, so it’s nice that this was there waiting for you!Steph (@ 20 Years Hence) recently posted…In Over Our Heads to Head Over Heels in HCMC